Modelling Armoured Vehicles

Summary

ALSO AVAILABLE TO BUY AS AN E-BOOK. Designed to appeal to all armour modellers from the beginner to the veteran this book details all the steps involved in creating a realistic and attractive model armoured vehicle. Each chapter is illustrated with a range of models covering the whole spectrum of armour modelling, including World War II armour as well as more modern subjects. The authors also cover techniques and subject areas in which they individually excel, highlighting the different tools and approaches required for each individual discipline. Lavishly illustrated with over 250 images, this book contains all the detailed, step-by-step information you need to become an expert armour modeller.

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Modelling Armoured Vehicles - Gary Edmundson

dioramas

Introduction

This book has been written primarily for modellers of a skill level of beginner to intermediate, and demonstrates techniques that can take their AFV modelling projects to a higher level of accuracy, detail and appeal. Unlike other titles in the Osprey Modelling Series, this book focuses on techniques rather than how to model specific vehicles. It describes how to conduct preliminary project research and provides tips on basic and advanced levels of construction. Painting, marking and weathering a model are demonstrated, along with various ideas for presenting a finished model with figures in a vignette or diorama. All of the work in the book has been done in 1/35 scale, but the methods demonstrated would apply to models of any scale.

Tamiya’s Char B1 bis kit was built with help of some aftermarket accessories to improve the detail and accuracy.

Five contributors have combined their efforts to present the reader with varied approaches to modelling. The projects chosen and the methods demonstrated cover a wide range of subject matter and skills.

Gary Edmundson shows basic model construction and also adds a few after-market parts to a Tamiya Char B1 bis, which is presented along with a second model in a diorama. France produced 369 Char B1 bis tanks between April 1937 and June 1940. Developed in the 1920s, the tank resembled World War I tanks, with track runs that went around the entire outside of the hull and the running gear protected by the side armour plate. Although the B1 bis was well armed with a 75mm gun and thick armour, it was not available in sufficient numbers and suffered from poor tactical employment during the German invasion of 1940. Gary’s model represents vehicle number ‘448’ named ‘Nancy II’, which served with the 37e Bataillon de Chars de Combat (BCC), and was lost during the fighting in Belgium in May 1940.

The finished model incorporated many painting and weathering steps to achieve a realistic appearance.

Jim Carswell created a small vignette by adding figures and a partial interior to Trumpeter’s LAV-25 kit. The LAV-25 (Light Armoured Vehicle – 25mm gun turret) has been in service with the United States Marine Corps since the mid-1980s. By the time of the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom phase 1 (OIF 1) in 2003, many of the LAV-25s used had been modified with at least some of the SLEP upgrades. The SLEP (Service Life Extension Program) upgrades include among other things an improved gunner’s thermal sight with armoured housing, scissors-type mount for the M-240G machine gun on the turret, driver’s external display, larger exhaust shroud and wider tyres. Externally, as far as the modeller is concerned, it appears LAVs in OIF would at least have the new sight and scissors mount, while the larger exhaust shroud and wider tyres would appear later on in the conflict. As no conversion parts are available for the modeller at the time of writing, some scratch-building is required to build an accurate LAV-25 in OIF.

Wheeled armoured vehicles present their own unique modelling opportunities. Here we see the Trumpeter 1/35-scale USMC LAV-25 (Light Armoured Vehicle – 25mm gun) as seen in the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, c.2003.

Modern American vehicles are literally covered with extra stowage. Here are the contents of a stowage set made for the LAV by the company Legend. Only a few of these items will be chosen.

To demonstrate methods of dealing with resin kits Tom Cockle constructed a Panzerbefehlswagen III from Cromwell Models. The Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf. D1 (armoured command vehicle) was built on the same basic chassis as the Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. D and provided more room for the command staff and radio equipment than the kleine Panzerbefehlswagen I Ausf. B. They were fitted with a FuG 6 plus either a FuG 7 or FuG 8 radio set along with a distinctive frame antenna mounted on the engine deck plus a telescopic eightmetre mast antenna that could be raised through a port in the turret roof. The turret ring was cut out to match the base of the turret and the turret was bolted in place. A dummy 3.7cm gun replaced the original main armament to provide additional space inside the turret leaving only one MG34 mounted in a ball mount in the mantlet for self-protection.

This 1/35-scale Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf. D was built from a kit consisting of all resin parts. When in the painting stages, the road wheels were simply dry-brushed with black artist’s oil paint on the wearing surfaces. This eliminated the need to paint each rubber wheel separately.

Steve van Beveren converted a DML Panther G kit into an early version of the Jagdpanther. Steve’s build features a description of the Zimmerit antimagnetic paste application to the model’s hull. The lethal 8.8cm Pak 43/3 gun was mated to a modified Panther chassis to provide the German military with a powerful assault gun. Together these proved to be an effective combination with almost 400 being produced from October 1943 up to April 1945. The Jagdpanther served on both the Eastern and Western fronts with the first unit to receive them being schwere Heeres Panzerjaeger Abteilung 654.

Steve van Beveren’s conversion of a DML Panther Ausf. G. kit resulted in this early version of the Jagdpanther, built to represent the vehicle currently on display at